grandview parents as teachers

​Communicating With Your Child Through Signs
(Parents as Teachers—Foundation Curriculum)

By the time they are 8 or 10 months old, most babies gesture to be picked up and held. They raise both their hands toward the person they want to lift them up. Your child is watching and learning from you. He imitates your actions. He mimics the sounds you make. He understands what you say to him – and he wants to talk to you long before his mouth can make the words come out. When he is able to share what he wants, your child will be more content and have fewer temper tantrums. To teach signs to your child, make the sign and say the word out loud as he watches you. Repeat the sign, and then see if he will repeat it back to you.
Remember that learning these signs is like learning a whole new language. Be patient and use repetition. Using signs to connect ideas and objects enhances communication and fine motor skills and expands your child’s knowledge of the world around him.